Police make 3 arrests in suspected check forgery case

A bank teller report of an attempt to cash a suspected forged check led Tulare police to make three arrests Thursday afternoon.

Francisco Mercado, 22, of Tulare, and Denise Riggan, 47, of Porterville, were booked on suspicion of forgery, while Nancy Cabrera, 32, of Tulare, was held on an arrest warrant. Mercado’s bail was set at $50,000, Riggan was set at $20,000. They are being held at the Pre-Trail Facility.

According to Tulare police, officers received a call about a woman, later identified as Riggan, attempting to cash an apparent forged check at Bank of America, 303 E. Tulare Ave.

Tulare Police Sgt. Greg Merrill said a clerk noticed the forged check and called police. When officers responded, they located Riggan, who inside the bank attempting to cash the check, and took her into custody.

Officers then located Mercado and Cabrera, who were then taken into custody as well, police said.

The incident was reported at 3:54 p.m. Thursday.

— Luis Hernandez

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